The Wawanesa Insurance is a small, regional insurer operating in California, and is now an Automobile Club of Southern California subsidiary. Its general insurance company provides services such as homeowners insurance, renters insurance and full coverage auto insurance, and life insurance is provided by the Wawanesa Life Insurance Company. The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company is Wawanesa’s parent company, and it operates out of Canada.
If you have been involved in an accident involving Wawanesa General Insurance Company, you may be wondering how big of a Wawanesa settlement payout you may qualify for.
When it comes to auto insurance settlements, the size of them can vary upon the severity of the injuries suffered as well as other factors.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident involving Wawanesa auto insurance. We can help you recover financial compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, property damage, wrongful death and more after your accident. Call us today.
Does Wawanesa Pay Fair Settlements?
Wawanesa, like most auto insurance companies, is unlikely to offer you a fair settlement if you do not have a lawyer.
When Wawanesa insurers a driver who injures you via their own negligence, Wawanesa is obligated under the law in California to pay you up to policy limits for your injuries. Wawanesa doesn’t actually have to pay you what they’re obligated to if you don’t have a lawyer, though, because the only way to enforce this obligation is to sue them over a low ball offer and win the lawsuit. Wawanesa knows you can’t win such a lawsuit if you’re not represented by a lawyer, so if you don’t have an attorney, they’re simply going to offer you nothing but low ball offers and dare you to sue them over it.
They’ll also use various tactics to try and keep your claim undervalued, like downplaying your injuries or questioning your medical costs. However, perhaps the most insidious thing they’ll do if you don’t have a lawyer is to insist upon you giving them a recorded statement to validate your claim. Once they have you on the phone and are recording you, their adjusters will try to trick you into saying the wrong thing, like saying things that imply you’re at fault for the accident, or saying things that imply your injuries aren’t as bad as you’re claiming. Insurance companies train adjusters to manipulate injury victims like this, and train them to twist injury victims’ words and take their words out of context in order to pay them less or nothing at all.
For these reasons, it is vital to have legal help to negotiate a fair settlement. Hiring a lawyer lets Wawanesa know that you can sue them over a low ball offer and win. Once you hire a lawyer, a lawyer can handle all negotiations and correspondence with insurance companies for you so you don’t need to worry about saying the wrong thing to an adjuster.
Studies show that injury victims who hire lawyers recover more money from insurers than those who don’t, even after taking attorney fees into account, so call us today for a free consultation.
Average Wawanesa Auto Accident Settlement Amounts
There is no one set average Wawanesa settlement amount. This is because every car accident case is unique with its own set of circumstances.
The value of an auto accident claim can range from just a few thousand dollars in minor cases to millions of dollars in cases involving catastrophic or fatal injuries.
The value of your auto accident claim will ultimately depend upon the damages you suffered in your accident. Our personal injury law firm can help you recover compensation for many types of damages, including:
Medical Bills
We can help you recover money to compensate you for any past or future medical expenses related to your accident, so if you’re already facing medical bills or you’re going to need more treatment in the future, we can make sure you’re compensated for it.
Lost Wages
Our firm can help you recover money to compensate you for any wages you’re unable to earn due to your injuries, whether it be because you’re hurt too badly to work or you need to take time off from work for medical treatment.
Loss of Earning Capacity
Our law firm can help you recover money to compensate you for any loss or reduction of earning capacity caused by a disability suffered in your accident.
Property Damage
If you are facing the cost to repair or replace your vehicle after your accident, we can help you recover that cost.
Pain and Suffering
If you suffered physical pain and/or mental suffering due to your accident, our law firm can accurately calculate the value of that pain and suffering and make sure you’re compensated fairly for it.
Wrongful Death
Should you lose a loved one in an accident, our firm can file a wrongful death claim on your behalf seeking compensation that can help to make sure your family doesn’t need to endure financial hardship due to the loss of your loved one.
Punitive Damages
Should your accident involve intentional or reckless conduct, our firm can seek punitive damages in order to maximize your recovery and punish the wrongdoer.
What Happens After I File a Lawsuit Against Wawanesa?
If you’ve tried to handle your claim with Wawanesa by yourself up until now, it’s almost certain that all you’ve received from them is low ball offers. Again, this is because Wawanesa knows you can’t sue them and win without a lawyer on your side.
If you hire experienced lawyers with a reputation for success like the lawyers at our firm, though, then when Wawanesa sees your lawyers have filed a lawsuit against them, they will suddenly know that you are serious, are willing to fight and are capable of winning that fight.
Once Wawanesa knows you’re capable of beating in them in court, it is highly likely that you receive a much larger settlement offer because Wawanesa will wish to avoid the expensive legal fees involved in a trial. Virtually all of our car accident cases settle out of court because insurers like Wawanesa know that when we go to court, we win, so it’s cheaper for them to pay our clients what they deserve out of court then go to court, lose, pay our clients what they deserve anyways and have to pay expensive legal fees regarding the court battle.
Call us today for a free consultation – we will help you maximize your settlement with Wawanesa.
Maximizing Your Wawanesa Settlement Payout
When insurance companies offer settlements, this means they are proposing a monetary value to resolve your claim. In exchange, you agree to release the insurer as well as the at-fault party from any further liability. Insurers like Wawanesa offer settlements in order to resolve claims, avoiding the uncertainties and costs of litigation.
Whether you’re looking to cash in on special vehicle equipment coverage, liability coverage or property damage liability, there are things you can do to maximize your settlement payout. You should:
Collect Strong Evidence
- Document everything: Gather pictures of the accident scene, photos of any injuries which are visible and pictures of property or vehicle damage.
- Witness statements: Get statements and contact information from all witnesses.
- Medical records: Be sure to keep copies of any medical records, doctor’s reports and bills.
- Police reports: Be sure to obtain a copy of any police report which is related to your accident.
Seek Medical Attention
- Do not delay: Immediately seek medical attention after your accident to document and assess injuries. Do this even when you don’t think you’re injured. It can take months for the symptoms of some injuries to appear. Waiting too long to have a medical professional document any injuries can lead to Wawanesa denying your claim, claiming something other than your accident caused your injuries.
- Follow all doctors’ orders: Be sure to attend all appointments which are scheduled and follow all doctors’ recommendations regarding treatment. Failure to do this can lead to Wawanesa undervaluing or denying your claim, claiming your injuries aren’t as severe as you’re claiming.
- Document all symptoms: Be sure to keep a journal of the pain and suffering you experience. Include limitations upon daily activities.
Document All Damages
- Lost wages: Be sure to keep all records of income that you lose because your injuries or accident.
- Property damage: Get receipts and estimates for all property damage.
- Additional expenses: Document all accident-related expenses, like the cost to travel to doctors’ appointments.
Consider Hiring a Lawyer
- Consult with an attorney: An experienced injury lawyer can help you to navigate the claims process and understand your rights.
- Negotiation skills: An attorney can perform negotiations with you, advocating for a settlement of a fair size.
- Protect your interests: A lawyer can protect your legal rights, making sure you recover the financial compensation you’re entitled to under California law.
Wisely Negotiate
- Do not accept your first offer: Wawanesa will almost certainly start out with a low ball offer. Do not be afraid to perform negotiations.
- Be ready to go to court: Being prepared for court with a strong case may pressure Wawanesa into offering you a settlement that is fair. Having a lawyer helps immensely with this.
- Be patient: It could take some time to reach your settlement. Be persistent and patient.
How Long Until I Receive My Wawanesa Settlement Check?
The time it takes for a Wawanesa car insurance claim to settle will vary widely. It can vary from just a few weeks regarding simple claims to months or more for complex claims.
The amount of time it takes to settle will depend upon factors such as damage severity, the insurance company’s efficiency, and liability disputes.
Factors which affect the amount of time it will take for your claim to settle and for you to receive a check include:
- Claim complexity: Claims which are straightforward, don’t have disputes and have clear documentation may get settled within one to four weeks. Claims which require more negotiation or investigation might take around six weeks. Claims which involve significant damages, legal issues or multiple parties may require multiple months to settle.
- Damage and injury severity: The length of the claims process is affected by more severe injuries or damages, which can lead to lengthy settlement and investigation times.
- Liability disputes: The settlement process may be delayed significantly when dispute over fault exists.
- Efficiency of Wawanesa: Your claim may be delayed if Wawanesa decides to intentionally delay it.
- Medical treatment: If your injuries need medical treatment that is ongoing, it could take longer in order to figure out the full extent of your damages and come to a settlement.
- Collecting evidence: How much time is required to collect evidence, like medical records, witness statements and police reports, may affect your settlement’s timeline.
- Negotiation: The process of negotiation between you (or your lawyer) and the insurance company may take time, particularly when disagreements exist over the claim’s value.
Parts of the settlement timeline can include:
- Initial response: A California insurance company is required to respond to your claim within 15 days of having received notice.
- Investigation: An insurance company usually has around 30 days to investigate your claim, although this time may get extended regarding complex claims.
- Settlement and payment: In California, insurance companies have 30 days to issue you payment after settlement.
It can take longer to receive a settlement when it comes to complex cases.
Contact a Wawanesa Auto Accident Claim Lawyer Today
Call us today for a free case evaluation if you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident involving Wawanesa.
We have been helping victims of car accidents in California since 1990 and have recovered over $750,000,000 for our clients. Our extensive experience in handling claims against Wawanesa and other auto insurers will allow us to recover the most compensation possible for you.
Should you be unable to afford medical treatment, our attorneys can get you to doctors who treat our clients on a lien, meaning you’re not charged for treatment until your case ends. The fact that doctors do this for a clients is a sign of the trust doctors place in us due to our reputation for success.
We won’t charge any money to handle your Wawanesa claim until and unless we recover compensation for you – we don’t charge upfront or out-of-pocket fees. Our only fee is a percentage of the money which we recover on your behalf.
Call us today for a free consultation.
